Three surprising teams that have a chance to reach the NBA Finals

The 2026 NBA playoffs could be some of the most chaotic postseason basketball we've ever seen. Some clubs — like the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder — are obvious contenders for the NBA championship. This is the type of team that's been good all season. 

Then there are the teams that have picked up the slack in the second half. This is the type of team that could make a realistic run to the NBA Finals. Here are three teams fans shouldn't sleep on.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a few things going for them. They're mostly healthy. Jarrett Allen, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Dean Wade all played together recently, which hasn't been a regular sight for the Cavs. With the core five players healthy and the return of people like Max Strus, this is a club that finally has its best talents available.

This has been aided by the development of guys like Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor, who have all looked good at times this season.

Of course, the arrival of Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder helped a lot as well. The mini-roster turnover and the departure of guys like De'Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball helped facilitate a turnaround that the Cavs desperately needed. With the influx of talent, this is a club that could realistically run 11-12 players deep in the playoffs should they need to.

Philadelphia 76ers

Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers, this isn't the same 76ers team that you were watching earlier this year. Paul George is not only back from his suspension but is also shooting better than he was previously. Since his return, he's been a superstar, averaging 24.4 points while hitting 46.8% of his shots from three. He's also by no means the only player who has upped their game. 

Despite missing chunks of the early season and most of March, Joel Embiid has looked every bit of his former MVP self down the stretch. He started out the season not rebounding well, with it looking like he had no lift when he was trying to jump. Since then, those concerns have been eased. His scoring is back up to expected numbers, and while his rebounding has fallen off a bit, they still have guys like Andre Drummond to help out there. 

While still a dark-horse contender, the 76ers got thrown a curveball with Embiid being diagnosed with appendicitis, and he will need to undergo surgery to resolve the issue. Likely, he's out for a few weeks, if not longer, depending on how long it takes to heal up. 

Fortunately for the 76ers, guys like Tyrese Maxey have emerged as a superstar this season, so the club is far from sunk this postseason. VJ Edgecombe's standout rookie performance through the season also gives hope with Embiid being out for a prolonged period of time. The stellar play from these two young wing players still gives the 76ers hope for a deep playoff run, with or without their franchise big man. 

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers started the season 6-21, and since then have gone on a 35-18 tear, completely turning around their season. A major reason for this is Kawhi Leonard, who's not only been healthy for most of the season but is playing just as well as ever. He's played in 64 games so far this season, a number he's hit only once since the 2016-2017 season. The Clippers are benefiting from Leonard's return to form, as they're a top-10 defense in the NBA this season, and continue to thrive despite trading away starting center Ivica Zubac. 

The offense has received an upgrade as well, with the arrival of Darius Garland, which has made the Clippers an intriguing team. Garland is averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game, all while putting up shooting splits of .489/.458/.838. That's the best field-goal and three-point shooting stretch of his career and it is a considerable improvement from his numbers with the Cavaliers from earlier this year.